The Magical McGowan Sisters
by oliverswoods
Summary: The 1991-92 school year proves to be quite interesting as three magical sisters - Nora, Phoebe, and Emilia - become entangled in the life of Harry Potter after first-year Emilia unexpectedly befriends the infamous "Boy-Who-Lived" on the train to Hogwarts. Full summary inside.
1. Mornings with the McGowans

Full Summary: The 1991-92 school year proves to be quite interesting as three magical sisters – Nora, Phoebe, and Emilia – become entangled in the life of Harry Potter after first-year Emilia unexpectedly befriends the infamous "Boy-Who-Lived" on the journey to Hogwarts. Amidst the mystery surrounding the Sorcerer's Stone, fourth-year Nora comes to some realizations, third-year Phoebe begins to question all she's ever known, and Emilia struggles to live up to the legacies both of her sisters seem to have already cemented for themselves. Will the girls make it through the school year in one piece? Find out in Book One of: The Magical McGowan Sisters.

Hi everyone! I'm **oliverswoods** , but you all can call me Mary! This is the very first chapter of what I hope will become a series of stories about the McGowan girls - three magical sisters who have been living in my head for quite some time now. This chapter is a little short, but I just wanted to introduce our three main characters and show a little bit of their dynamic before I move into their time at Hogwarts. I have a lot of exciting things planned for this story - which is my first, so please be constructive but gentle with your criticisms - and I hope you all will follow along and enjoy!

Without further ado, here is Chapter 1 of The Magical McGowan Sisters!

-Mary

* * *

11-year-old Emilia McGowan sighed as she sat down at her family's small kitchen table, a steaming cup of tea in her hands. The sun had not yet begun to rise over the tiny village of Betchworth, but Emilia had already been awake for hours; her anticipation about the day ahead had kept her tossing and turning for most of the night, and so she had finally given up on the idea of getting a restful night's sleep.

Today was September 1, and in just a few short hours, Emilia would be boarding a train at Kings Cross Station. The young witch smiled as she took a sip of her tea; this year, instead of just looking on as hundreds upon hundreds of students – including her older sisters, Nora and Phoebe – were whisked away on the Hogwarts Express, she would be joining them. Finally, _finally_ , she would be starting her first year at Hogwarts.

Emilia smiled again, content in her thoughts about all the new and exciting things she would be learning and doing this year. She had already begun reading some of her school books and was particularly intrigued by Potions, which both Nora and Phoebe despised, although that was probably more to do with Professor Snape than the class itself. Emilia had heard loads of stories about the Head of Slytherin from her sisters and their friends, and had already come to the decision that she was going to get on his good side as soon as possible, if only to enhance her newfound interest in the art of potion-making. Her sisters argued that Snape didn't _have_ a good side, but Emilia was determined all the same – it didn't hurt to make an impression, after all.

While Emilia was mostly very excited about going to Hogwarts, there was one part she was absolutely dreading – the sorting. Both Nora and Phoebe were in Gryffindor, but Emilia wasn't quite sure if she possessed any Gryffindor-like qualities. She didn't see herself as particularly brave or daring, at least not like her older sisters were. Nora was a natural-born leader, star Quidditch player, and unafraid of anything life tossed at her, while Phoebe sought out adventure in any and all places – usually through pranks with Fred and George Weasley.

Emilia was just… Emilia. There was nothing special about her, nothing that made her stand out from the crowd. Her sisters had no problems with that. This notion presented Emilia with a conflict; while she was nervous about being put in a different house from her sisters, she was also scared of being overshadowed by them as a Gryffindor, only known to others as "Nora and Phoebe's little sister." She loved her sisters, but would she be able to make a name for herself at all while they attended Hogwarts alongside her?

Emilia sighed. _This_ is why she had so much trouble sleeping the previous night.

Having finished her cup of tea just as the first rays of sunlight started to stream in through the kitchen window, Emilia brushed her curly red hair out of her face and stood to wash her mug, still musing about Hogwarts, the sorting, and trying to decide if it was worth it to check her trunk for the fourth time. She was broken from her thoughts quite suddenly, though, by a loud crashing noise and a string of expletives that seemed to come from the front hallway. Heart racing, Emilia ran quickly to see what all the commotion was about.

A rather large coat rack in the shape of the Eiffel Tower lay across the width of the hallway, some of its hooks broken off and scattered in different directions. At its head stood Phoebe – Emilia's second oldest sister – who was rubbing her foot with a pained expression on her face. "Shit, shit, shit," she muttered.

"What happened?" Emilia asked, moving forward to pick up the coat rack.

"Forgot the bloody thing was there," Phoebe said. "I bumped into it and tried to move out of the way but it still landed on my bloody foot." As if to emphasize what she was saying, she rubbed her foot harder, letting out a soft whimper as she seemed to rub a particularly sore spot.

"I don't know why dad would put it in this hallway, it really is quite small," Emilia wondered. Having returned to the rack to an upright position, she began collecting the hooks that had fallen off.

"No one knows why dad does anything," Phoebe said, ceasing her foot rubbing for a moment to tie up her long, blond hair. "I'm not even sure _he_ knows, half the time."

Emilia chuckled. Her sister had a point. Their father was… well, eccentric was one way to put it. A vicar at the local church in Betchworth, he had become a widower only a year after Emilia was born, when the girls' mother suddenly fell ill and passed away. The loss of Mrs. McGowan had not made Mr. McGowan a bitter man; in fact, he seemed determined to live his life to the fullest in honor of his late wife. When he wasn't busy giving sermons or raising three girls by himself, Mr. McGowan loved to ride his unicycle around the village and was a frequent customer at flea markets all throughout the parish, usually buying the most grandiose and unnecessary items he could find at the cheapest price he could bargain for – hence the coat rack.

Unlike his three daughters, Mr. McGowan was a muggle, but delighted in hearing stories about the magical world. Even though he wasn't permitted to tell anyone, it was obvious he was very proud that all three of his daughters were witches and able to attend a prestigious school like Hogwarts.

"What are you doing awake so early?" Phoebe asked, once again interrupting Emilia's thoughts.

"Couldn't sleep," Emilia explained, shrugging.

Phoebe grinned. "Too excited about Hogwarts?"

Emilia blushed, afraid her sister might tease her if she told her the truth. "No," she said, much too quickly. "I mean…"

"Oh, don't be so shy about it, Em," Phoebe said, chuckling. "Everyone's too excited to sleep the night before their first year at Hogwarts."

"I seem to recall having to drag you out of bed by your feet your first year, Pheebs," a new voice chimed in. Both Emilia and Phoebe looked up to see the eldest McGowan sister, Nora, standing at the top of the stairs. She was already dressed and ready for the day, her auburn hair pulled back into a neat plait.

"That was only because I didn't fall sleep until 5 in the bloody morning!" Phoebe exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at Nora. "If _someone_ didn't come into my room that night begging me to help her pick an outfit that would get Oliver Wood's attention, maybe I would've gone to bed on time."

Oliver Wood was a fifth-year Gryffindor, and the newest captain of the house Quidditch team. Emilia knew that Nora's crush on Oliver had started on the very first day of Nora's first year, when the young wizard had helped her stow her trunk in her compartment. While Nora still liked Oliver, her position on the Quidditch team kept their relationship strictly professional.

"I was in there for all of five minutes, Phoebe, don't be so dramatic," Nora said as she descended the staircase. She plopped down next to Phoebe and discreetly rolled her eyes so only Emilia could see.

"More like five hours," Phoebe groaned. "And don't roll your eyes at me Eleanora, they'll get stuck that way and then Oliver Wood will _never_ talk to you."

Emilia giggled as Nora stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes, which caused Phoebe to giggle, too.

"Phoebe is right, though, Em," Nora admitted after a moment. "It's okay to be nervous about Hogwarts. Everyone always is. But before you know it you'll be there and so much will be happening around you, you won't even have time to be nervous."

Nora turned towards Emilia, taking her hand and giving her a comforting smile. Emilia smiled back. She knew Nora was right, but there was one thought that was still nagging at her...

"Guys... what if..." Emilia trailed off as her sisters looked at her expectantly.

"What if what?" Phoebe questioned.

"What happens if I get sorted wrong?" Emilia asked, her face heating up as she avoided her sisters' eyes.

"No one gets sorted wrong," Nora stated matter-of-factly. "The Sorting Hat is thousands of years old, and knows exactly what it's doing."

Phoebe nodded. "You'll be in Gryffindor just like us, Em, don't worry."

Emilia bit her lip. Should she present her sisters with her dilemma?

"What if I _am_ in Gryffindor and... everyone just knows me as the youngest McGowan? What if that's all I'm _ever_ known for?And then what if I'm _not_ in Gryffindor and no one knows me at all and I'm away from you guys and I don't make any friends and-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Phoebe interrupted, her eyes wide. "Stop before you explode, Em."

"Sorry," Emilia said, blushing again.

Nora chuckled. "Don't apologize. Just relax," she said, gently rubbing Emilia's back to calm the younger girl.

"Listen, I know it's hard," Phoebe said. "I was scared of the same things when I was going, too."

"You were?" Emilia asked, amazed that Phoebe would openly admit to being scared of something.

"Of course," Phoebe confirmed. "But I was put in Gryffindor for a reason. And Nora was, too. Wherever you go, it's for a reason."

Emilia looked towards her eldest sister, who nodded in confirmation.

"And you're a good kid, Em," Phoebe continued, "You'll have no problem being your own person and making friends."

"Thanks, Pheebs," Emilia said, appreciative of the compliment. Things like that were rare from her older sister.

"And we'll love you even if you're a Slytherin," Nora joked.

"I'm not so sure about that," Phoebe said, pulling a face. "Only joking, Em," she clarified, as Emilia pretended to look insulted before she began to giggle.

The three sisters laughed together for a few moments before falling into a comfortable silence, looking out the front window as the sun rose a bit higher in the sky. Soon, their father would drive them to Kings Cross Station and for the first time, all three of them would board the Hogwarts Express together. A thousand thoughts about school still raced through Emilia's head (classes, the sorting, making new friends, the list went on and on) but for now she was content to just sit with her sisters and enjoy their company for as long as possible. She knew deep down that they would always look out for and protect her - whether she was a Gryffindor, Slytherin, or anything else in between - and that, no matter what, Hogwarts would certainly never, ever get boring.


	2. The Journey to Hogwarts

Hello all! I'm so happy to finally be posting Chapter 2 of The Magical McGowan Sisters! There are some descriptions and dialogue in this chapter that I took from PS, so I hope it doesn't sound wholly unoriginal. I also changed some very minor things in the chapter that I thought would be different due to Emilia's - as well as Nora and Phoebe's - presence(s). I have more to say, but I'll save it for the end. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please don't hesistate to leave a review telling me what you liked/didn't like/etc.

Happy reading!

* * *

The rest of the morning passed relatively quickly for the McGowan sisters, with teeth to be brushed, breakfast to be eaten and – in Phoebe's case – trunks to be packed. Before the girls knew it, they were packing into their father's old station wagon for the hour-long drive to Kings Cross Station, leaving their cozy village behind.

"I can't believe all three of you are going to be at Hogwarts this year!" Mr. McGowan marveled, smiling at his daughters through the rearview mirror. "Seems like just yesterday Nora was off, and now look! I'm so proud of you, girls."

Emilia smiled fondly. She was really going to miss her dad this year, having grown accustomed to spending a great deal of her time with him while both Nora and Phoebe were at school. She would miss his blueberry waffles on Sunday mornings, and his long sermons, and the way he still insisted on telling her stories before bedtime. She would even miss the wacky flea markets he was always dragging her along to, where he encouraged her to bargain with the salespeople.

As if reading her mind, Mr. McGowan gave Emilia a knowing smile. "Going to miss my Emi, though, that's for sure," he said. "Who else is going to be my partner-in-crime this market season?"

Emilia giggled. "I'm sure you'll manage, dad."

"I guess I'll have to," Mr. McGowan said, letting out an exaggerated sigh. Emilia giggled again, and Mr. McGowan winked at her before turning his attention back to the road.

In seemingly no time at all, they arrived at Kings Cross Station. Mr. McGowan parked the station wagon and the three sisters clambered out with trunks in hand. Phoebe held tightly to the cage holding the family owl, Bertie, as the bird rustled around, annoyed by the sudden movement. This caught the attention of several passersby, who eyed the family strangely before hurrying on their way.

Mr. McGowan secured two carts and the girls loaded their belongings onto them, Bertie calming down considerably once he wasn't being jostled about.

"Well, girls, I guess this is where we say our goodbyes," Mr. McGowan said, looking like he was trying very hard not to get emotional. He pulled a handkerchief out of his back pocket and wiped his forehead.

"Aw, don't be sad, Dad," Nora consoled, stepping forward and hugging their father round the middle.

"Yeah, Dad! Christmas isn't that far away, really," Phoebe added. She, too, stepped forward and joined Nora in the hug.

Emilia felt a little emotional herself and didn't trust herself to successfully comfort her dad. Instead, she silently joined the hug, content in her family's embrace.

The group stood like that for a few more moments until Mr. McGowan pulled away, kissing each of his daughters on the forehead and giving them a watery smile.

"Don't want you to be late," he told them. "Take care of one another, and I'll see you all at Christmas."

"Bye, dad! Love you!" the girls chorused, steering their carts towards the entrance to the station. Just before they went through the doors, Emilia looked back and saw her dad wiping his eyes with his handkerchief. A lump formed in her throat, but she had no choice other than to follow her sisters. She knew her dad would be okay, eventually, but she worried about him sometimes.

Kings Cross was packed with people, all of them heading in different directions with varying amounts of briefcases, luggage, pets, and small children. Emilia had to try very hard to avoid hitting people with her overloaded cart.

"Look – there are the Weasleys!" Phoebe called, pointing to a group of redheads walking a few feet in front of them. The Weasleys were a family of purebloods, but from what Emilia had heard about them from her sisters, they didn't believe in blood status the way other pureblood families did. Phoebe was best friends with Fred and George, twin Gryffindors in the same year as her. Nora was friendly with them as well, as they were all members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Fred, George, wait up!" Nora called, walking as fast as her piled-up cart allowed.

Upon hearing their names, the two redheads turned around in sync, identical grins spreading across their identical faces as Nora and Phoebe finally reached them. Emilia trailed a bit further behind, feeling weirdly shy all of the sudden.

"Gred, could it really be them?" one of the twins – though Emilia didn't know which – said. He turned to his brother in fake shock.

"It is, Forge! The famous McGowan sisters!" the other twin cried, placing a hand to his forehead. "How wonderful are they –" he started.

"- to bless us common folk with their presence," the first twin finished.

"Oh, knock it off," Phoebe said, shoving the shoulder of the twin closest to her. The twins laughed, stopping their awed fans act and leaning forward to give both Nora and Phoebe one-armed hugs.

Emilia stood awkwardly to the side, watching the exchange, before Nora took notice of her.

"Boys, this is our younger sister, Emilia," she introduced, beckoning Emilia closer and putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Em, this is George," Phoebe said, pointing to the twin on the left. "And Fred." She pointed to the twin on the right.

"Pleasure to meet you, Emilia," the two boys said at once. "We've heard a lot about you."

They winked, and Emilia felt herself getting red. This twin thing was definitely something that was going to take some getting used to.

"Fred? George? Do hurry up, won't you?"

In the distance, Emilia could see a plump woman – who she assumed was Mrs. Weasley – straining her neck in order to find her sons in the crowd.

"Coming, mum!" the boys called, waving to get her attention.

The group moved forward and slowly caught up to the rest of the Weasley family, who stood between platforms nine and ten. Mrs. Weasley looked very stern, but any impending lecture was interrupted by Phoebe.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley!" she said, smiling brightly.

Mrs. Weasley's face immediately softened as she saw the two oldest McGowan sisters.

"Oh, hello, Phoebe and Nora. How are you, dears?"

"We're just great, Mrs. Weasley, thank you," Nora responded, ever polite. "This is our sister, Emilia."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Weasley," Emilia said.

The redheaded woman gave Emilia a kind smile. "Very lovely to meet you, too, dear. How nice that you'll be in the same year as Ron."

She gestured to a tall, gangly boy, who waved at Emilia awkwardly. Emilia was sure her wave in return was just as clumsy.

"Now, we should get a move on," Mrs. Weasley continued, grabbing the hand of the young girl next to her. She did not have a cart in front of her, so Emilia assumed she was not yet old enough to go to Hogwarts.

"Oh, mum, can't I go…" the girl moaned.

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet," Mrs. Weasley warned, confirming Emilia's suspicions. "All right, Percy, you go first."

Emilia watched as the oldest of the gathered Weasley children marched toward platforms nine and ten. He seemed to have a very haughty air about him, and a silver badge was affixed to his jumper. In an instant, he had disappeared beyond the barrier.

"Nora, Phoebe, and Emilia, go on ahead dears," Mrs. Weasley told the three sisters. Nora walked quickly towards the barrier and vanished, then Phoebe did the same after throwing a wink over her shoulder at Emilia.

Emilia hesitated. The others had made getting onto the platform look so easy, but she was still a bit nervous. What if she did something wrong and crashed right into the brick wall?

Seeming to sense her fears, Mrs. Weasley placed a gentle hand on Emilia's shoulder.

"It's okay to be nervous, dear. Just take it at a bit of a run."

"Good luck," said Ginny, smiling kindly.

Emilia gulped and nodded. She jogged, steering her cart as best she could, straight towards the brick wall in front of her. She closed her eyes just before she reached it and suddenly –

She was there!

Emilia looked back at the seemingly solid wall she had just come through and grinned. That hadn't been so bad! She rounded the corner and saw the large, scarlet steam engine that could only be the Hogwarts Express. All Emilia could do for a few moments was stand in awe – this was the train that would finally take her to Hogwarts!

"Em, over here!" a voice called, quickly pulling Emilia out of her trance.

Phoebe and Nora stood a few feet away, waving and smiling widely. Emilia hurried over to them, not wanting to get lost on the packed platform. Wizards and witches of all ages were carrying trunks, broomsticks, pet cages, and more, packing them on the train before saying their goodbyes.

"Nice work, kiddo," Phoebe said, ruffling Emilia's hair.

"Come on," Nora instructed, "let's get our stuff on the train and find a compartment to sit in before they're all full."

Between the three of them, they were able to get their trunks on the train without much hassle. The first few compartments were already packed with students, and so the sisters walked a little further down the corridor until they reached one that was completely empty. They stored their trunks in the overhead, and Phoebe placed Bertie's cage on the seat closest to the window.

"We'll let you out to fly ahead when we get closer to the countryside," Phoebe promised.

Bertie, seeming to understand, hooted delightfully.

The girls settled into their seats just as the train began to move. Students hung out the windows, waving goodbye to their families on the platform. Emilia could see Ginny Weasley, half crying, half laughing as she ran to keep up with train before falling back and waving. She felt a pang of sympathy for the young girl; she knew all too well, of course, the feeling of being the only one left behind.

The train rounded a corner and picked up even more speed, the houses of London becoming nothing but a blur as they passed them. Emilia's heart leapt with excitement as she looked out the window. She couldn't believe she was actually here!

Emilia turned away from the window at the sound of the compartment door opening, admitting a burly fifth-year with brown hair cropped close to his head. By the way Nora's eyes widened, Emilia could only guess that he was the infamous Oliver Wood.

"Hi, Nora. Hi, Phoebe. Hi..." he trailed off, looking from Nora to Emilia quizzically.

Nora seemed frozen, unable to speak.

"Hello, Oliver," Phoebe said pleasantly, saving Nora from a potentially embarassing situation. "This is Emilia, our sister."

"Great to meet you. Do you play Quidditch?" Oliver said, smiling at Emilia. Merlin, he was as cute as Nora said he was. And seemingly just as Qudditch obsessed as Phoebe said he was.

"I'm afraid Nora is the only Quidditch star in the McGowan family," Phoebe informed Oliver before Emilia could respond.

"And quite the star she is. Nora, do you think you could join me in my compartment for a bit to talk strategy for this year?"

If possible, Nora's eyes widened even further and her face turned quite red. "Me? Um. I mean, um, okay then," she stammered, standing up slowly.

"That's okay, right?" She looked at Emilia pleadingly.

Emilia nodded and smiled encouragingly. "Of course."

Nora looked incredibly relieved and exited the compartment with a promise to be back later. Oliver waved goodbye before shutting the compartment door behind him.

Phoebe burst into a fit of laughter.

"Oh, did you see her face, Em? I thought she was going to faint!"

Emilia chuckled. "I really thought you were exaggerating about that crush."

"Oh no. If anything, I was downplaying it. Poor girl, she's probably going to lose her mind over it soon."

The girls kept laughing, wondering how their older sister was managing, when the compartment door slid open once again.

It was Fred and George, followed by a boy with dreadlocks. He held a mysterious black box in his hands.

"Hello, again!" the twins said, both of them plopping down across from Phoebe. "You'll never believe what Lee has."

The boy, Lee, sat down next to Emilia and stuck out his hand. "Lee Jordan."

"Emilia McGowan," she responded, shaking Lee's hand. "What's in the box?"

"Open it up and show them, Lee," one of the twins – maybe Fred? – said. Emilia was going to have to figure out a way to tell them apart soon.

Lee slowly lifted the lid off the box, and something inside poked out a long, hairy leg. Emilia screeched.

"What the bloody hell is that?" she cried, just as Phoebe exclaimed, "Wicked!"

"It's a tarantula," Lee explained. "I found it in the forest behind my house."

Emilia scooted as far away from the box as she possibly could. Spiders of any kind were her worst fear, and just the sight of the tarantula's leg was enough to make her sick.

"Um, I think I'm gonna go take a walk," she told the group. "Get some air."

She stood up quickly, and before anyone could stop her, exited the compartment and started walking up the corridor. She could let Phoebe explain her phobia to the rest of them.

As Emilia wandered aimlessly up the train, she looked in at the packed compartments as students laughed and chatted, catching up with their friends after the long summer. It looked like everyone had someone to talk to but her. She was about to go back to sit with Phoebe and her friends when she spotted the youngest Weasley boy, Ron, sitting across from a boy with glasses and very messy black hair. They seemed to be surrounded by sweets.

She opened the compartment door and the two boys looked up at her.

"Hi," she said, a bit shyly. "Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is pretty full."

"Sure," said the dark-haired boy.

"Oh, your sisters are friends with Fred and George!" Ron said, recognizing Emilia as she sat across from him. "Sorry, what was your name again?"

"Emilia."

"Well, I'm Ron Weasley, and this is Harry."

"Nice to meet you both," Emilia said. Harry smiled and brushed his hair away from his eyes, momentarily revealing a lightning shaped scar. Emilia couldn't believe what she was seeing – could this boy next to her be _the_ Harry Potter? Nora and Phoebe had told her all about him, of course, and how he was the only person to ever survive the Killing Curse, bringing an end to You-Know-Who's reign of terror when he was only baby. No one knew where Harry had gone after that, since both his parents had died that night, but now she was potentially sitting right next to him.

Emilia had about a hundred questions swimming around in her brain, but realized that asking him would be quite rude, and that staring at him was even ruder. She instead turned her attention to the stack of sweets next to Ron.

"I guess I missed the trolley lady," she observed.

"Yes, she left a few minutes ago," Ron informed her around bites of a pumpkin pasty.

"Help yourself," Harry said, pushing some of his stash towards Emilia. "We got a sample of everything."

Emilia eyed the various sweets carefully, smiling as she spotted a Cauldron Cake – her favorite. Nora and Phoebe were always bringing home sweets off the train, which Emilia was very thankful for. She thought Cauldron Cakes were the best, but she liked Chocolate Frogs as well.

"I'll just take one of these, thanks." Emilia smiled at Harry as she unwrapped the cake and took a large bite.

"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry as he tore open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger flavored one once."

Emilia shuddered. "I reckon I've had one of those, too. And rotten egg."

Ron pulled a face before he picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.

"Bleaaargh – see? Sprouts."

The three of them had a very fun time eating the Every Flavor Beans, as they chatted about what was in store for them at Hogwarts. Ron did most of the talking, filling the other two in on small things about Hogwarts, most of which Emilia already knew from Nora and Phoebe. Soon, the subject turned to houses. Ron wanted to be in Gryffindor, like his entire family before him.

"Is your family full of wizards, too, Emilia?" Harry asked.

"Oh, no," Emilia said, shaking her head. "We're all muggleborn, but Professor McGonagall told us that some of our ancestors might have been magical, and it just stayed dormant until us."

"Right, Ron said you had sisters. Are they in Gryffindor?"

"Yep," Emilia said. "Nora's in fourth year and Phoebe's in third, like Fred and George."

"They say Nora's a really good Quidditch player," Ron said. "Charlie thought so, too."

Emilia smiled. It was nice to hear nice things about her sister.

"Charlie just graduated, right?" she asked Ron.

"Mhm," Ron confirmed. "And now he's off in Romania studying dragons. Everyone thought for sure he'd go pro for Qudditch. He even got offers to play for England! But I guess he just liked dragons more."

Ron seem disappointed by this, but Emilia was impressed. She thought it was good that Charlie had decided to do something he was passionate about, even if it meant going against everyone else's expectations.

"What does your oldest brother do?" Harry asked curiously.

"Bill's in Africa right now, working on something for Gringotts," Ron said. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with Muggles - someone tried to rob a high security vault."

"I heard about that!" Emilia said. Nora got the Daily Prophet delivered to their house in Betchworth, and her and Phoebe had talked about it briefly over breakfast that morning.

"Crazy, right?"

Emilia nodded. "Gringotts is supposed to be one of the safest, most heavily-guarded places in the world."

"So what happened to the people who broke in?" Harry asked.

"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught," Ron informed Harry. "Emilia's right, there's tons of security at Gringotts. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round them."

"That's what Phoebe said, too," Emilia said. "What's weird, though," she continued, "is that whoever it was that broke in - it doesn't seem like they took anything."

"Exactly!" Ron said, seemingly puzzled. "Why break-in if you're not actually stealing?"

Emilia thought about this for a moment. "To show that they can, I reckon," she guessed finally.

"I guess that makes sense," Ron conceded. "'Course, everyone just gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."

Emilia involuntary shivered at the mention of You-Know-Who, but shook her head in agreement. Harry seemed to have paled at the mention of the name, and Emilia wondered what he must be thinking.

"What's your Qudditch team?" Ron asked suddenly, changing the subject.

"Both Nora and Phoebe root for the Holyhead Harpies, so I guess they're my team, too," Nora said, shrugging. She hadn't been exposed to enough professional Qudditich to choose a side, really.

"Er - I don't know any," Harry confessed.

"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world -" And he was off, explaining about the four balls and the positions of the seven players. Emilia tried to chime in when she could, but Ron was talking a mile a minute, so she elected to just sit back and listen to his animated stories about famous matches he had been to and a few Quidditch players he had met.

Before Emilia knew it, the sun had begun to set over the wild countryside flying by the window. Gone were the solid houses of London, and even the neat farming fields. Now they passed by woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.

There was a knock on the door of their compartment, and a round-faced boy wearing a tearful expression came in.

"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"

"No, sorry," Emilia said, as Harry and Ron shook their heads. The boy wailed.

"I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"

"He'll turn up," Harry said.

Emilia nodded and smiled at the boy comfortingly "He couldn't have gotten far on the train," she told him.

"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him…"

He left.

"Don't know why he's so bothered," Ron said once the compartment door had clicked closed. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."

He looked down at a fat, gray rat that was snoozing on his lap. Emilia couldn't be positive, but it looked as though he was missing a toe.

"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," Ron said in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..."

He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.

"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway…"

He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again.

The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth. She reminded Emilia a little bit of Nora, when she was younger.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it," Ron said, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."

She sat down next to Emilia. Ron looked taken aback.

"Er - all right."

He cleared his throat.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep. Emilia, not wanting to upset her new friend, tried very hard not to laugh.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

She said all this very fast, and Emilia struggled to keep up. Did she say she had learned all their course books by heart?

Emilia looked at Harry and Ron, and was relieved to see by their equally stunned expressions that they were just as confused, and probably hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.

"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.

"Emilia McGowan," said Emilia, giving the girl an awkward sort of smile.

"Harry Potter," said Harry.

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course – I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

"Am I?" said Harry. He looked very dazed.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," Hermione said. Emilia felt a little annoyed with the girl; obviously it was a sore subject for Harry.

"Do any of you know what house you'll be in?" Hermione continued. "I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You three had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."

And as soon as she had come, she was gone, Neville following close behind.

Emilia felt like her head was spinning.

"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," Ron said. He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell - George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."

He flopped back in his seat, looking depressed.

Before either Emilia or Harry could say anything, the compartment door slid open for a third time. It was Nora, who, like Hermione, was already in her Hogwarts robes. Unlike Hermione, however, Nora's robes were trimmed with the scarlet and gold that represented Gryffindor house.

"There you are, Em!" Nora said, looking a bit relieved. "Phoebe said you left the compartment ages ago. Were you here this whole time?"

"Yes," Emilia replied. "Sorry if you were worried."

"Oh, it's fine," Nora said, waving her hand. She then smiled at the compartment's two other occupants.

"You're Fred and George's brother Ron, right?" she asked the redheaded wizard.

Ron nodded. "Yes, and you're… Nora?"

"That's right," Nora confirmed, before turning to Harry. "I'm sorry, I don't know who you are."

"I'm Harry Potter," said Harry.

Emilia could see Nora's eyes widen ever so slightly, but apart from this her eldest sister gave no noticeable reaction, which Emilia was thankful for. Harry looked relieved, too, after just being hounded by Hermione.

"Well, nice to meet you both," Nora said, smiling. "Em, you should probably come back to get changed. I think we'll be there soon."

"Okay," Emilia agreed.

She turned towards her new friends. "See you around, I suppose. Hopefully we'll all be in Gryffindor together," she told them. She was still worried about the Sorting, but she supposed Gryffindor wouldn't be so bad if Harry and Ron were there too.

Ron nodded enthusiastically and Harry just smiled. Emilia heard them say goodbye to Nora as she stepped into the corridor and Nora shut the door behind them.

The two sisters walked in silence back to their original compartment, which Emilia found to be a bit odd. Usually Nora would be asking her all sorts of questions about her new companions.

When they reached the compartment at last, Phoebe was just pulling up the privacy shade and Nora opened the door, letting Emilia go through first.

"Merlin's beard, Em! Harry Potter?!" Nora blurted just as soon as the door closed.

Phoebe looked up quickly from her trunk, which lay open on the seat as she stored away her Muggle clothing. "What's this about Harry Potter?" she demanded.

"Emilia was just sitting with him and Ron Weasley!"

Phoebe's eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"I'm not!"

"Well, how did you know for sure?"

"He said to me, 'I'm Harry Potter,' that's how I know for sure!"

"Oh, that could be any dunderhead pulling a prank. Did you see his scar, at least?"

"No, but…"

"Did _you_ see his scar?" Phoebe asked, turning to look at Emilia.

"Well, yes," Emilia admitted hesitantly. She wasn't sure how she felt about Nora and Phoebe making such a big deal out of this. Harry hadn't talked at all about what happened to him when he was a baby, but from what she had seen from him over the course of the afternoon, he was really only starting to come to grips with it himself. He seemed just like any other first-year – nervous and excited to be heading to Hogwarts for the first time.

Emilia told her sisters this and they nodded. "Sorry, Em," Nora apologized, after she had taken a moment to fully digest what Emilia had said.

"Yeah, I guess we got a little carried away," Phoebe said, scratching the back of her neck. "It's just that we've been hearing about Harry for so long, it's hard to believe he's here at Hogwarts. And our own sister is friends with him!" She laughed. "Fred and George will never believe it."

Before Emilia could respond, a voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Emilia gulped, hurrying into her robes as her heart raced, all thoughts of Harry forgotten. When she was done, the three sisters joined the already building crowd in the corridor.

The train slowed down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Emilia could just barely make out a soft light heading towards the group.

"There's Hagrid," Phoebe said, just as a booming voice called out: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Hagrid was probably the largest man Emilia had ever seen, and his face was half obscured by both his long, tangled hair and wild beard. Emilia knew the groundskeeper was not as scary as he looked, however, as both her sisters were quite friendly with him.

Hagrid continued down the platform, calling the attention of the first years as they disembarked from the train.

"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Nora and Phoebe pulled Emilia in for a hug.

"Follow Hagrid, okay?" Nora instructed.

"We'll see you soon," Phoebe told her.

They smiled at her one last time before they were swept away with the crowd.

Emilia tried her best to find Harry and Ron, but it was too dark and crowded to see anyone clearly. Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. Emilia stared in amazement, lost in the beauty of her new home, when someone bumped into her.

"Watch it," the boy said, shoving her shoulder as he passed. He had very blonde hair and a pointed face, and was being followed by two thickset boys, who sniggered at her as they walked away.

Emilia frowned. She would have to steer clear of that little trio, she thought.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Emilia finally spotted Harry and Ron, but they were already being followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione. Instead, she climbed in a boat with two other girls and a boy, who introduced themselves as Hannah, Susan, and Justin.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"

The fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Emilia resisted the urge to skim her hands through it. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. The sight was enough to take Emilia's breath away; her sisters' descriptions definitely did not do the actual, real-life thing justice.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads - Hannah at the very last second - and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Emilia smiled, happy that Neville and his pet had been reunited. She hoped he would be able to keep a better eye on him now that they were at school, but she somehow knew that this was not the last she'd be hearing about Trevor the disappearing toad.

The first-years clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

Emilia stood up a little straighter and let out a contented sigh. She was finally where she belonged.

* * *

I plan to focus more on Nora and Phoebe as the story moves forward. I just wanted to explore things through Emilia's POV to begin with as she's new to the whole Hogwarts thing and is the one who befriends Harry originally. The next chapter will probably be about Nora, including her conversation with a certain Quidditch captain and an introduction to her friends. I hope you'll stick around to read it!

Please don't forget to like this story or leave a review! Both are very much appreciated!

-Mary


	3. Thoughts of a Sister

Hi all! I haven't gotten much feedback on this story thus far but I'm really passionate about it, so, I'm hoping to keep posting until people take notice! I haven't updated in a while because I was busy with the end of the school year (including graduation!) but now it's summertime so hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently.

This chapter provides a longer introduction to the eldest McGowan, Nora, who I love with all my heart. I hope you grow to love her, too! Please enjoy Chapter Three of The Magical McGowan Sisters! See you at the bottom for some closing thoughts.

* * *

Eleonora McGowan – or just Nora, as many people called her – worried about her younger sisters, probably more than was necessary, and she reflected on this as she watched Emilia disappear down the Hogsmeade platform with Hagrid and the other first-years.

She took her role as eldest sister very seriously, having lost her mother at a too young age. As Nora grew up, she found herself becoming part-parent, part-sister to Phoebe and Emilia. Their father loved them, of course, and raised them as best he could, but he was quite eccentric and there were just some areas involved in raising three daughters that he was not equipped to handle. Thus, by default, it was Nora who braided hair, gave period talks, and kept her sisters' secrets. She knew this was one of her greatest duties in life, having realized it the moment she was able to fully grasp what being the oldest sister in a motherless household meant.

In the past, sometimes, they had resented her for it – she was, admittedly, quite bossy when she was younger – but Nora knew deep down that her fierce love for her younger sisters was a mutual one. The freedom of Hogwarts had loosened up her previous overbearing personality, and the sisters had grown quite close by the time Emilia's letter had arrived.

Some old habits did die hard, though, and so the eldest McGowan sister always worried, and worried, and then worried some more, just for good measure.

"Emilia's fine," Phoebe reassured, after Nora had once again cast a nervous glance down the platform over her shoulder. "She's with Hagrid, what could be safer?"

Nora wasn't so sure if she agreed with Phoebe's assessment of Hagrid as a poster-child for safety, but did not have the time to argue as the crowd of students they stood in surged forward with the arrival of the Hogwarts carriages.

"I'm gonna hop in with Fred and George," Phoebe said, pointing to a carriage near the front of the line. "I'll see you at the feast, fingers crossed for another McGowan Gryffindor!"

Nora laughed and waved goodbye to her sister before she felt someone tug on the end of her braid, causing her to whip her head around angrily.

"Hey! -" Nora fumed, but her protest fell silent when she recognized the culprit – her best friend, Siobhan Jones.

Nora and Siobhan had met on the train their very first day at Hogwarts, and the two witches had become fast friends, which was only solidified when they were both sorted into Gryffindor. They had been attached at the hip their first year at school, with people often jokingly referring to them as "Godric's Twins," which was quite funny as the two of them could not be more opposite when it came to looks. Siobhan was tall and lithe, with dark skin, curly brown hair and warm brown eyes. Nora, on the other hand, had red hair, blue eyes, freckles, and was quite petite – but also muscular and lean, which came from playing so much Quidditch.

"Siobhan!" Nora squealed, reaching forward and giving the girl a warm hug. Once she pulled away, she pulled lightly on one of Siobhan's curls, smirking as she did so.

"That's payback for pulling my braid."

"Hey, I only did that because you were nowhere to be found on the train!"

Nora blushed at the mention of the train ride, the majority of which she had spent with Oliver Wood, her Quidditch captain and longtime crush. Oliver had talked for hours about strategy for the upcoming year and Nora had been thrilled that he genuinely seemed to want and value her opinions. Before she knew it, though, it had almost been time to change and disembark, leaving her no time to find her friends.

"Sorry, I was with Oliver. We were –"

"I'm sorry, did you just say you spent the train ride with Oliver Wood? _The_ Oliver Wood?" Siobhan interrupted, her eyebrows shooting up towards her hairline. She reached out and placed her fingers on Nora's wrist.

"Huh, that's odd," she said, "you still have a pulse."

Nora pulled her arm from Siobhan's grasp, her blush deepening.

"Shut up," she muttered.

"So, did anything happen?" Siobhan asked, her tone suggestive.

"We talked about Quidditch, Siobhan, what else do you think would've happened?"

Siobhan rolled her eyes. "A beautiful witch like you and all Oliver can ever do is talk about Quidditch."

"Shut up," Nora said for a second time. "Oliver could do much better than me."

"That could not be further from the truth, Nor."

"What couldn't be further from the truth?" a voice from behind Nora questioned. She smiled as she turned and saw Cedric Diggory, another one of her best friends. His grey eyes sparkled with warmth, and Nora noticed that he seemed to have hit a bit of a growth spurt over the summer, as he now towered above Siobhan, who had always stood tallest among them.

Cedric was in Hufflepuff, but that hadn't stopped him at all from bonding with Siobhan and Nora about Herbology and Quidditch (respectively, since Nora despised Herbology and Siobhan barely tolerated Quidditch) when they had first met by the Great Lake during the first week of classes.

"Hi, Ced!" Nora greeted, allowing the wizard to pull her into a tight hug.

"Ced, tell Nora that Oliver Wood cannot, in fact, do better than her," Siobhan instructed, after the wizard had finished giving her a hug as well. "She's being stubborn."

Cedric chuckled, at this point very used to the ongoing Oliver saga. "You know, I've always been of the opinion that _you_ could do much better than _him_."

"That's also true," Siobhan said, after a moment of contemplation.

Nora groaned. "Could we not talk about this now? All the carriages are going to be taken."

Indeed, the large crowd they had been standing in the middle of had shrunk significantly as carriage after carriage began up the path to Hogwarts. Siobhan and Cedric nodded, thankfully letting the Oliver conversation go for now as the three friends searched for an empty carriage.

"Over here, you three!" someone called from a few carriages down. Sitting inside it was the fourth member of their friend group, Robert Hilliard, who was a Hufflepuff just like Cedric.

"I thought I'd lost you in the crowd, Robbie," Cedric said, climbing into the carriage and sitting down next to his best friend. Nora and Siobhan went in next, and the group slowly began to move as the two Gryffindors sat across from their Hufflepuff companions.

Nora smiled at Robbie before realizing with a gasp that his normally blonde hair was dyed a deep navy blue. Siobhan gasped, too, having noticed the drastic change at exactly the same moment.

"Robbie, what's happened to your hair?" Nora asked, trying to sound casual so as not to hurt her friend's feelings, though she couldn't understand why he would do something like this on purpose.

Robbie grimaced and ran a hand through his blue curls. "My sister is going to beauty school now," he explained. "She begged to practice hair dying on me and, well, this happened."

Nora giggled. "It's like in _Grease_."

Cedric and Siobhan – who had both grown up in magical households – looked confused by the reference but Robbie – who was Muggleborn just like Nora – laughed.

"That's what we kept saying!"

"What's _Grease_?" Cedric asked.

"It's an American musical about a group of high school students in the 50s," Nora explained. "One of the main characters drops out to go to beauty school but ends up dying her hair pink."

"Musical? That's with the singing and the dancing, right?" Siobhan asked, trying to recall some things about the Muggle world that Nora had explained to her over the years.

"Yep," Robbie confirmed, and Siobhan smiled, pleased that she had remembered correctly.

"Anyway," Robbie continued, "my sister had no clue how to get the blue out and I obviously couldn't use any magic on it, so I'm going to ask Professor Sprout to help me tonight."

"That seems wise," Cedric said, barely stifling a laugh as he held a blue curl in front of his eyes, closely examining it. Robbie huffed and squatted Cedric's hand away.

"Stop it! I'm going to be the laughing stock of the feast!"

"I don't think much attention will be on you tonight, Robbie," Nora said, shaking her head. "Harry Potter's here."

Her friends looked at her with wide eyes, frozen in silent shock at the bombshell she had just dropped, before all three of them erupted at once.

" _What?!_ "

"Harry Potter, here at Hogwarts!"

"How do you know?!"

Nora raised a hand, attempting to silence them, but her friends kept on talking over one another, ignoring her completely.

"Hey! HEY!" Nora shouted. Her friends quieted at once, looking at her to continue.

"My sister Emilia sat with him and the youngest Weasley boy on the train," she told them.

"There's _another_ Weasley boy?" Robbie asked, groaning.

"Are you sure Emilia wasn't playing some joke?" Cedric questioned.

"No, no. I went to get her so she could put her robes on and… there he was."

Robbie let out a low whistle. "Did you see his scar?"

"No, but Emilia said she did. She _also_ said he was raised by Muggles, and didn't seem to have any sort of clue just how famous he is."

"I thought him going off to live with Muggles was just a rumor!" Siobhan said. "Poor kid."

"Muggles aren't bad, Shiv," Robert chastised.

"I'm not saying they are," Siobhan told him. "It's just that he's _Harry Potter_ , how could he not be raised as a wizard when he's one of the greatest wizards of all?"

Cedric snorted. "He's an 11-year-old boy," he said, "I'm not sure I'd call him great just yet."

"He saved the wizarding world!" Siobhan cried defensively. A significant part of Siobhan's family had lost their lives in the fight against Voldemort's regime, and so the witch took the legend of Harry Potter a lot more seriously than some others.

Nora could see an argument brewing, as it often did with her two best friends, and decided to cut in before Cedric could respond.

"There's no doubt he's incredibly famous. But Emilia said he seems like any other kid."

"I hope he's in Hufflepuff," Robert said. "It'd give our house a little bit of reputation boost, don't you think?"

"I think that'd be quite the scandal," Cedric said, chuckling. "I reckon he'll want to be in Gryffindor now, if he's been hanging out with a Weasley _and_ a McGowan."

Guiltily, Nora realized that with all the talk about Harry Potter, her thoughts about Emilia had almost completely vanished. She wondered how her younger sister was managing on her own journey to the castle, and if she was still feeling nervous about her sorting. Nora could feel renewed worry bubble up inside of her. She knew everything would be fine if Emilia wasn't in Gryffindor, but her near-maternal instincts told her that things would probably be much simpler if she was placed in the same house as her and Phoebe.

"You've got that big sister look on your face, Nor," Siobhan pointed out. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just thinking about Emilia," Nora said with a sigh. "She was a little nervous about the sorting this morning, and I'm just afraid of her being unhappy."

"What, she doesn't think she'll be in Gryffindor?" Siobhan asked. At that moment, the carriage came to a sudden halt, signaling their arrival at the front gates of Hogwarts.

"I don't think she really knows what she wants," Nora shared, after the four of them had climbed out of their carriage. They joined the pack of students walking up the grounds to the front door.

"She's afraid of being alone if she's not in Gryffindor," she continued, "and afraid of being in me and Phoebe's shadow if she is."

"I can understand that," Robbie chimed in. He was the youngest child in a family of five, with three older brothers and an older sister. "I felt inferior to my brothers all the time before I came here."

Despite having so many siblings, Robbie was the only one among them who was magical. Nora still remembered how quiet and shy he had been in the beginning of first year before growing close with Cedric and, in turn, herself and Siobhan. Now, he was much more confident and secure in himself.

"Well, I certainly hope Phoebe and I have never made her feel _inferior_ ," Nora said worriedly.

"No, I know," Robbie assured. "I'm just saying – it's kind of always that younger sibling mentality, no matter what your siblings are like. My brothers just happen to be the biggest bloody bastards on the planet."

The four friends chuckled at this assessment of Robbie's brothers and, at last, reached the front doors of Hogwarts. Nora smiled softly as she gazed up at the large, glistening castle before her. Even three years later, it still had the power to take her breath away.

The quartet made their way through the large oak doors and filed into the Great Hall. Promising to meet early for breakfast the next day, Nora and Siobhan said their goodbyes to Cedric and Robbie as the two Hufflepuffs made their way to their table, where chatter had already started about Robbie's shocking blue hair.

"Is that Professor Quirrell up there, at the high table?" Siobhan wondered, pointing at a pale man wearing a purple turban. The girls took their familiar seats at the Gryffindor table and Nora craned her neck over a sea of students to look at where her friend was pointing. The man indeed seemed to be Professor Quirrell, the old Muggle Studies professor. He was paler than Nora had ever seen him, and his hands held a noticeable tremble even from across the Hall.

"Looks like it," Nora said. "I thought he was on sabbatical?"

"That was just for last year," Siobhan said. "I wonder what's up with the turban."

Nora shrugged, then groaned as she caught sight of who was sitting next to Quirrell.

"Ugh, and there's Snape. I'd been hoping he had fallen into a cauldron over the summer."

"No such luck, Nor," a familiar voice said, sitting down across from Nora and next to Siobhan. It was Phoebe, who looked rather disgruntled.

"What's the matter, Pheebs?" Nora asked, concerned.

"Bloody Slytherins," the younger witch mumbled, turning her entire body to glare across the hall, wand gripped tightly in her hand. "One of these days I'm going to hex Cassius Warrington so bad…"

Nora reached across the table and placed a hand on Phoebe's arm. She knew her sister had a temper, and she grew especially agitated when it came to certain members of Slytherin house.

"Hey," she said softly, "cool it before you accidentally fire at Bat-Bogey Hex at someone."

Phoebe didn't respond, instead gripping her wand tighter. Nora rubbed her arm.

"Pheebs, I'm serious. Don't stoop to his level."

Somewhat reluctantly, Phoebe turned back around in her seat, placing her wand back in her robes. "They just make me so bloody angry!" she cried, rubbing at her temple.

"What did he do?" Siobhan asked.

"Oh, just spouting the usual pureblood bullocks," Phoebe said, laughing bitterly. "I should have Fred & George put dungbombs in his bag."

"Speaking of, where are they?" Nora asked, hoping to distract Phoebe from thoughts of pranks and revenge.

"I stormed ahead after the whole thing with Warrington," Phoebe admitted, looking a little guilty. "They'll probably be along soon."

"If they haven't already been marched off to detention," Siobhan joked, rolling her eyes playfully. Phoebe snorted, and Nora gave her friend a grateful smile.

"Rumor has it that Quirrell is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Phoebe said after a moment, gesturing over to the teacher's table.

This time, it was Siobhan's turn to snort. "Quirrell? Really?" she asked, disbelievingly. "The man seemed scared of his own shadow on a good day. What's Dumbledore thinking?"

"Probably ran out of options after Hillgrave was sacked," Phoebe guessed. "Everyone's got to realize the position's cursed by now, so nobody wants it."

Nora rolled her eyes. "The position is not cursed."

"I have to agree with Phoebe on this one," Siobhan said. "I mean, no one's been able to keep it for longer than a year at a time."

"Are we talking –"

"– about the cursed DADA position?"

Fred and George plopped down on either side of Nora, heads turned inquisitively towards the three girls.

"It's not cursed!" Nora said.

"Even our mum and dad say it was cursed when they went here," George said. Fred nodded.

"And they're ancient," the twins finished together.

"Don't you think Dumbledore would have lifted something like that by now?"

"Maybe he placed it," Fred said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Nora scoffed, but didn't respond as more of their housemates began to make their way into the packed hall. She smiled warmly at Angelina Johnson and Lee Jordan as they sat down next to Phoebe, and the Gryffindors were soon swept up in conversation as they waited for the new first years.

"How do you think Emilia's doing?" Phoebe asked, her tone indicating she was a touch concerned. Nora smirked ever so slightly; Phoebe put on tough front, but Nora knew more than anyone just how big her heart was. Both of them felt a certain sense of responsibility when it came to their youngest sister.

"I think she's okay," Nora said, setting her own worries aside in order to assure her sister. "Harry and Ron seemed nice enough, so hopefully she met back up with them."

Phoebe nodded. "Hopefully she didn't meet any nasty future Slytherins along the way."

Nora hummed in agreement, looking nervously towards the doors.

"You think she'll be in Gryffindor?"

"I think our lives would be a lot easier if she was," Nora admitted. "But remember what we promised."

"Of course," Phoebe said, holding her head high. Nora smiled – there was that tough exterior.

Suddenly, a loud banging could be heard just outside the Great Hall, which could only be Hagrid knocking on the front door. A hush fell over them all as Professor McGonagall rose from her seat next to Professor Dumbledore and strode across the room in order to collect the new students. After a moment, Hagrid appeared, and the chatter started back up. Nora caught Oliver Wood's eye from down the table, and blushed when he waved.

A few seconds later and McGonagall was back, looking at Professor Dumbledore, who nodded ever so slightly. The Transfiguration professor disappeared once more, before the wooden doors opened by themselves and she led a small group of students single file to the front of the hall, where the Sorting Hat was placed on its usual stool.

"They're so tiny," Siobhan whispered. "Were we that tiny?"

Nora could see Emilia staring up with wonder at the enchanted ceiling before she looked around nervously at everyone gathered. When she caught Nora and Phoebe's eyes, however, she sagged in relief. Nora shot her an encouraging smile, while Phoebe gave her a thumbs up.

As soon as the first years had come to a stop, everyone waited in quiet anticipation until, at last, the hat began to twitch. Then, it opened its mouth and began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty…"

Nora watched in amusement as some of the first years actually jumped back, startled by the hat's sudden song. She had done the same thing her first year, too, and had made sure to warn both Phoebe and Emilia about it before they were sorted.

"So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. Next to her, the Weasley twins let out two long whistles. The hat bowed to each of the four tables and then became still once again.

"Look at Ron," George said, pointing to his younger brother, who looked quite put out.

"I might've suggested that he'd need to fight a troll," Fred explained, shrugging.

The sorting began and two girls – "Abbot, Hannah" and "Bones, Susan" – were placed into Hufflepuff. Nora could see Cedric and Robbie going wild with applause as they welcomed the new members of their house.

The next two students called were sorted into Ravenclaw, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor. Nora burst into cheers along with the rest of the house, swatting at Fred and George when they began catcalling.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin, sneering as she made her way to her new house's table.

"Well, she certainly looks pleasant," Nora heard Angelina remark.

The next three Gryffindors were "Finnigan, Seamus," who sat on the stool for a full minute; "Granger, Hermione," who had shoved the hat onto her brown, bushy hair with much enthusiasm; and "Longbottom, Neville," a round-faced boy with a toad sticking out of his robe pocket.

"Malfoy, Draco," a smug looking boy with a pointed face and silvery blonde hair, was sorted into Slytherin and Nora held her breath.

"Any minute now," Phoebe whispered. Nora reached out and grabbed her younger sister's hand, more nervous than ever before.

"McGowan, Emilia!" Professor McGonagall called.

Nora watched as Emilia walked tentatively to the stool, sitting down carefully and gently placing the Sorting Hat atop her red curls.

"Moment of truth," Nora said with a gulp. It seemed to take hours, but the Sorting Hat finally opened its wide brim of a mouth and shouted…

* * *

Sorry for the cliffhanger, but you'll find out where Emilia is sorted in the next chapter! After that, the real action begins. Hope you enjoyed this little sneak peak into Nora's life. I know it looks like I'm setting her up early for tragedy what with her friendship with Cedric, but you never know what might happen! If you're enjoying this story/enjoyed this chapter, please let me know in a review!

-Mary


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